Radarcape:Faq
Q: Will you provide solutions of all the application ideas?
A: This is far outside my capabilities and it is left to some skilled people in the community. However, I will provide some basic services like 1) or some code libraries that will make Mode-S decoding easier. I most probably will also enforce the idea of peer-to-peer multilateration.
Q: How does the Radarcape perform compared to the Mode-S Beast?
A: The Radarcape got all the improvements implemented that I've learned with the Mode-S Beast, so it's performance generally is a little bit better than the Mode-S Beast, however there are influences that can let the other one look better in some cases. The main focus on the development is versatiltiy in the use cases and not performance.
Q: What will be the price?
A: The price will compare to the capabilities of the Mode-S Beast
Q: Will you offer ready made units in a case
A: Not I by myself, but a dealer was selected who will sell the Radarcape. I will furtheron concentrate on the development of the next generation. Due to the complexity, there will only be ready made units with CE/FCC qualification. Only for very very special reasons empty boards are availabe.
Q: When will it be available to public?
A: Currently (E10/2012) a larger batch of boards is in production and will go to the market end of 2012.
Q: Will the final user still need to solder difficulty components?
A: The Radarcape will only be available as ready made unit, so no end user completion tasks are necessary.
Q: What if I am not familiar with Linux at all?
A: It much looks as if it as easy as handling of a USB stick, not more, so copying software to it and handling it from there should be easy.
Updates easily can be done with a SCP tool, as described in this wiki, as another way the Radarcape while it is connected to the internet can download SW automatically.
Otherwise it might be possible to supply ready preinstalled SD cards that only need to be plugged into the Beaglebone's slot.
Q: Why did you select the Beaglebone and not the Raspberry Board
A: The Beaglebone is a device that is made for expandability while the R-Pi is a nice gadget but unfortunately does not provide some major features like a power connector, enougth signals on the extension port. Finally it cannot easily become integrated into a case, since the connectors extend to all 4 sides and are not aligned. All these are items which solution would easily eat up the cheaper price.
Q: Can I operate the Radarcape without GPS?
A: As long as you don't want to use the absolute GPS timestamp, the Radarcape can operate as a standalone unit.
Q: Can the Radarcape, equal to the Mode-S Beast, still decode 2 independant antenna signals?
A: Yes, the Radarcape is equipped with all hardware in order to decode 2 channels, however it is not supported in the standard out of the box version. The extension is easy and can be done by the user.
Q: Will there be Radarcapes without GPS available?
A: If your Radarcape is intended to fly above 10000m above ground or if you are planning to fly it in an orbiting satellite: yes. Otherwise I would like to have one standard for all.